Browsing Tag

biodiversity

Animals

Take the City Nature Challenge with Terra

Posted on April 25, 2025

If you’re a budding bird watcher, naturist or citizen scientist then this one’s for you…

This weekend, April 25 to 28, Terra, Expo City Dubai, is proud to host the City Nature Challenge in collaboration with Emirates Nature-WWF, Dubai Holding Entertainment, and Nature Wave. This worldwide initiative encourages global participation and local exploration. The real-time data supports scientists in protecting urban biodiversity. 

All you have to do is download the iNaturalist app. It’s a science based app that allows you to snap pictures of the plants and animals you find around the world, sharing them with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data.

Whether you are sipping coffee on your balcony, walking through a park, or lounging in your backyard, you can join the challenge by photographing any wild plant or animal and uploading it to the iNaturalist app between April 25 and 28. Whether it’s the chirping of purple sunbirds that you spot, or the quick scurry of a sand gecko, the flutter of salmon Arab butterflies or the rustle of miswak bushes, Dubai is teeming with life just waiting to be noticed. 

travel

Dive into conservation at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi

Posted on February 5, 2025

If you prefer (like me) to keep active when on holiday, rather than a wellness retreat at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, you can now immerse yourselves in a different kind of hands-on marine experience, one that is truly aimed at eco-minded adventurers.

For a change of mindset, why not enjoy the beauty of the Maldives and its aqua blue waters with a side of conservation?

Despite producing a fraction of global emissions, the Maldives is adversely affected by the climate crisis. This archipelago is home to some of the most beautiful coral reef’s in the world, but due to over exploitation – fishing, tourism, pollution, coastal development and climate change – these reefs are degrading and losing their capacity to support the people who depend on them. Temperatures are increasing, which has caused issues like ocean acidification and loss of biodiversity throughout.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a marine biologist (I know I have), this offering allows guests to actively engage in the protection of marine life, providing a unique and educational bio-adventure, focusing on the often overlooked natural ecosystem in this popular destination.

Dive into conservation snorkeling, guided by the resident marine biologist, Mohamed Shah, where you will collect essential data on coral health and fish populations using underwater fish guides, coral health charts, writing slates, and will learn to identify their native species.

Guests will aim to assess coral reef conditions, which is important because they represent the strategic natural offshore sea-defences, and contribute to protecting the local marine ecosystem. Findings will be discussed with their marine expert Shah, offering deeper insights into marine life at the Iru Fushi lagoon and house reef.